interview | martin garrix

Martin Garrix, the once DJ wunderkind, is a staple in the rave scene. Between juggling world tours, club nights, and his label STMPD RCRDS, the Dutch DJ now includes Brand Ambassador in his resume of titles. Garrix most recently worked with Replay Jeans to create a line of special editions Replay X Garrix merch, including 9 custom-designed shirts available now on the Replay website!

Schön! met up with Garrix in Berlin for a quick chat on the art of standing out as a DJ, his thoughts on the techno capital of the world and, of course, what it means to be Replay’s first musician brand ambassador.

People know Berlin as the epicentre of techno music, and it’s quite a controversial statement at this time. What’s your take on this? Does playing in Berlin feel different than playing in other cities?

I love Berlin. I love the energy here. I love the music scene. Of course, there’s a huge techno scene. Myself, I’m not playing techno, but, I love all kinds of genres. I love all kinds of house muaiix and more.

Do you adjust your sound to the city you’re playing in? Certain cities prefer a certain sound.

Very much so. Every show for me is different. I really try to balance the set based on the energy I’m getting from the crowd. So I know my first song and the second song. Then, from there, I figure the rest out based on crowd feedback.

So you pull from the database and then you just improv?

Yeah, I have a huge folder of songs. As Garrix, I made more than 100 songs. We have my record label as well. So if I use my database of songs and then based on how the energy is going, and how the show is going, I can decide on where to go.

You’ve mentioned that you were hugely inspired by Tiesto before you started your music career. How did you get discovered by him, and how has that changed the trajectory of your career?

I think he’s one of the reasons why I’m still alive. He mentored me from day one. I released the song on his label when I was 15 or 16 on Musical Freedom (label). The song was called Torrent. I remember meeting him for the first time on Skype. Wow. I was holding my laptop and my hands were shaking. Ever since that moment, he’s been incredible for me with feedback of course, music-wise, but also guiding and warning me—making sure I was with the right people and doing the right shows. He’s a mentor. It’s crazy because I started making music because of him. So, yeah, it’s very surreal to now have him in a direct line. Whenever I feel down or whenever I’m unsure about certain things, he is there and vice versa.

For other young artists who are seeking that kind of guidance, what do you think is the best way to get noticed?

I think most importantly, find your own sound because, especially now, there are so many producers out there, and there are so many genres that are blending. So a lot more is possible. There’s not that many boxes anymore that you have to fit into. You can experiment, try new things. As a young artist, it’s important to try new things and come in with a fresh sound. I remember hearing Flume for the first time, and I was like, oh my God. It was such a breath of fresh air. Same with Fred Again. Also Skrillex with the dubstep sound. I was listening to those songs and thinking to myself, how can someone make this? I had no clue. I think for anybody who wants to do something, whether it’s music or any form of art—you want to surprise people. If you do something that people expect you to do, they don’t care especially not in this day and age. Everybody is so short-term focused. You want to be able to surprise people in the best way possible.

In that vein, are there some upcoming younger artists that you find really inspirational?

Definitely. Of course. I’ve got guys signed to my label, that I promote and really support. I love Mesto, I love Osrin as a crazy producer. I work with them a lot. Inhaler is a super cool band. They were my number one Spotify artist this year. I love Jungle. They aren’t up and coming, they are already huge. I really listen to so many things, but I don’t really listen to electronic as I want to be fresh when I work on the Garrix stuff. I don’t want to be pulling too much influence and being like “Oh this sounds so good,” “This artist did this,” and then go to the studio with like a monkey on my shoulder. I just want to be fresh.

At this point, everyone has dabbled in DJing. It’s become an incredibly accessible medium of artistry. What do you think makes a really good DJ stand out?

I think really being able to connect with the crowd and take them on a journey. Of course, there are different types of shows. There are tens of thousands of people sometimes, so it’s less intimate. But that creates room for more creative productions, fireworks, and visuals. My shows are more like concerts. I play big songs, and in between I play some unreleased tracks of mine, I play stuff from artists from my label. But I also love playing in clubs where it’s much more intimate and you can really see the people, also where you have more time to play. A concert set is around 90 minutes, which is long but it’s also short. If I do a 90-minute set, it’s just 90 minutes of energy. If I play a longer set, like three or four hours, there are moments when I’ll bring the energy really back and then build it up again.

Can you tell us about your role as ambassador for Replay? You’re their first music partner so it’s a pretty exciting frontier. How involved are you in the creative process behind the designs?

I met the owner of Replay at a random event and I had no idea he was the owner and we immediately kicked it off. Normally, with brands it feels a bit artificial and not personal. But this project started in the most genuine and fun way. I really like the brand too. It’s actually a fun story, the head designer who did the line with me—the first time I met her she was like “Hey, can I look in your closet?” She spent three hours going through every single shirt, every single hoodie, to learn my identity and based on that she did a whole proposal for the line. It was cool because there was no place to hide. It wasn’t curated. It was just my identity, what I wore. During the entire collaboration, the whole team has just been surprising me day in and day out with their creativity.

What do you see for the future of Replay? How do you see your involvement evolving with the brand?

It’s just a really cool brand. They have so many great ambassadors and so many things that they’re working on. I get to be a little tiny part of that with the collab, but I’m super stoked and really proud of the things we’re designing together. It’s like the same thing with music, it’s about identity. In the morning you wake up and you’re like what am I wearing? That’s what Replay focuses on. It’s such an important part of who you are and what makes you feel good and comfortable. I’m enjoying this a lot more than I thought I would actually!

What are you most excited about before the end of this year?

I’ve been in the studio with some really special artists, that I wish I could disclose now. But otherwise just excited for some upcoming shows and ending the summer with a bang.